Sensitive Plant Communities
Miller A. 2011. Sensitive Plant Communities
Even small changes in the environment may have significant effects on plant communities that are strongly controlled by physical factors (e.g., hydrology, snow cover), or on species that occur at the edge of their range. Sensitive communities targeted for monitoring in the SWAN include (1) nunataks, or high-elevation ridges that are thought to have acted as refugia for plants and animals during the Last Glacial Maximum; and (2) salt marshes, which provide critical foraging habitat for brown bears, nursery areas for fish and shellfish, and staging grounds for migrating waterfowl.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Miller, Amy
- Date of Issue
- 2011-10
- Units
- KATM , KEFJ , LACL , SWAN
- Keywords
- nunatak, Salt Marsh
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex